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The country's government have obtained the freedom of a hundred abducted pupils seized by attackers from a educational institution last month, as stated by a United Nations official and local media on Sunday. However, the whereabouts of another 165 students and staff thought to still be under the control of kidnappers remained uncertain.

Background

In November, 315 individuals were kidnapped from a co-educational boarding school in central Niger state, as the nation was gripped by a series of group seizures reminiscent of the notorious 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok.

Around 50 managed to flee in the immediate aftermath, leaving 265 thought to be still held.

Freedom for Some

The a hundred youngsters are due to be transferred to Niger state officials this Monday, according to the United Nations source.

“They are scheduled to be released to Niger state government on Monday,” the source informed a news agency.

Regional reports also confirmed that the freeing of the hostages had been obtained, without offering specifics on whether it was achieved via dialogue or military force, or about the whereabouts of the remaining individuals.

The freeing of the youngsters was confirmed to AFP by a government spokesperson an official.

Statements

“We've been praying and waiting for their release, if it is true then it is positive news,” said Daniel Atori, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which manages the school.

“Yet, we are without official confirmation and have not been duly notified by the government.”

Wider Crisis

Though kidnappings for ransom are widespread in the country as a method for illegal actors to make quick cash, in a wave of mass abductions in last month, hundreds were seized, placing an uncomfortable spotlight on the country's already grim security situation.

The nation is grappling with a long-running jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while armed bandit gangs conduct abductions and plunder villages in the north-west, and clashes between farmers and herders concerning diminishing land and resources occur in the middle belt.

Furthermore, militant factions linked to separatist movements also haunt the country’s unsettled south-east.

The Chibok Shadow

Among the earliest large-scale abductions that attracted worldwide outrage was in 2014, when almost three hundred female students were snatched from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

Ten years on, the country's hostage-taking problem has “consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking business” that generated approximately $$1.66m (£1.24m) between a recent twelve-month period, according to a analysis by a Nigerian research firm.